To quote Grub Street, we’re migrating to Manhattan. Our homebase/nest will always be Brooklyn, but starting October 22 we’re humbled and honored to be partnering with Whole Foods Market’s Bowery store to create a unique pop-up restaurant/residency for one Flea/Smorg food vendor every month. Each vendor will take over one of the second-floor counters at the Lower East Side store, establishing a sort of “step up” space between a market booth and a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

The starting lineup features Danny Lyu’s Cemita’s (your favorite 10-layer Mexican sandwich) batting leadoff, through November 20. Next up is Keith Klein’s Milk Truck Grilled Cheese (Nov. 26-Dec. 23), a market staple for three years running. And hitting third, none other than Hugh Mangum’s Mighty Quinn’s (Jan. 2-Feb. 2), the exquisitely smoked brisket and pork (and lamb and whatever else) that Smorgers drool over every weekend. (Quinn’s is also opening their own restaurant on 2nd Ave. and 6th St. in the East Village next month.) The partnership will continue with more Flea faves after that; plus starting in Feb. 2013 a second counter for Flea/Smorg packaged/to-go vendors will open too!

Vendors will be open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week (hours will likely be tweaked once we launch), and we’ll Tweet about the special menu items that will inevitably materialize. We’d love it if our fans showed these ambitious folks some support, so head upstairs next time you’re in the neighborhood, and by all means let us know what you think. And with a little luck, sometime next week you’ll see our big fancy sign from Houston Street—the big time!